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| He was adventurous, curious, and full of laughter right from the start! |
I may be a little biased but is this not the cutest face you have ever seen!? No wonder Ben is so adorable! My mother-in-law describes Aaron through her rose-colored glasses as a "curious child" and laughs as she tells me about the need to tie her kitchen chairs to her table so Aaron would not climb on top of the fridge. And how about that time he shouted, "Look Mom! I'm Tarzan!" as he swung on their kitchen light right before he and the light came crashing down from the ceiling. When she would tell these stories, Aaron would beam with a mischievous smile on his face as his mother's love poured over him through her stories.
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| Aaron cocked his head to the side in almost every fishing picture I have ever seen |
My father-in-law loves to talk about their fishing adventures and their father and son camping trips
. Aaron and his dad would laugh and talk over one another in excitement as they recounted the infamous trip where it stormed and they were forced to eat their hot dogs in the car where they used the dashboard to hold all of the condiments. I have been told Aaron slept through the night floating on an air mattress after their tent flooded. Sounds about right. The man could sleep through anything!
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| 3 years old |
There are so many other sweet stories about the adorable little man in these pictures! There are precious stories about him defending a class mate with Down syndrome, how he was not able to say "three" but instead said "free," and named his large stuffed bear "Doggy Bear" because what he really wanted was a dog!
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| He would still smile this adorable crooked smile even after we were married |
At 8 years old, Aaron began to have severe abdominal pain, loss of appetite, and vomiting. His parents took him to the doctor over and over again, each time being reassured that it was nothing to worry about and likely just some constipation. At one point, the doctor felt a "blockage" and spent some time pushing on it as a way to get it to move through his digestive system. On Good Friday, March 29, 1991, Aaron was sent for an ultrasound at Butterworth Hospital (now
Helen DeVos Children's Hospital). The ultrasound identified a large tumor, not just a digestive blockage. He was immediately scheduled to have surgery on April 1, 1991. I have been told he looked 8 months pregnant as they drove him to the hospital for surgery that morning because the tumor had grown so rapidly over the weekend. That surgery took over 12 hours. The cancer had engulfed his right kidney and had spread to his lymph nodes and lungs. In the end, the cancer had spread so much that they could only take samples, close him back up, and tell his parents to prepare to say goodbye to their oldest child and only son. . The Lord obviously had other plans for this amazingly brave boy who played April Fools jokes on his family as he was prepped for surgery. Aaron lived another 22 years and 3 1/2 months!
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| 4 year old Aaron Robert Moeller |
The Mayo clinic was able to identify the tumor sample as a
soft tissue Ewing sarcoma, the first pediatric case of this particular type of cancer they had seen. They instructed the staff in Grand Rapids of the chemotherapy cocktail they should try prior to going in for surgery again. The chemo worked and the cancer shrunk enough for the surgeon to go in again and remove his right adrenal gland and kidney. They proceeded with high levels of radiation that left the doctors certain he would never be able to have biological children. Again, God had other plans for Aaron and gave us Benjamin in January 2011.
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| Always a Tigers fan! He loved his Detroit teams! |
This Saturday, June 29th, I will be running the
Caledonia Kilt Klassic in Caledonia, MI, which is near his hometown of Grand Rapids. The proceeds of this run will be going to the
Helen DeVos Children's Hospital. He often talked about things he learned as an inpatient like how to beat all the levels of Mario Brothers on the original Nintendo and that his stomach was able to handle a Whopper as his first solid meal after surgery (he has always been an eater!). Most of all, Aaron came to know Jesus as his own personal Savior and Lord of his life
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| 20 years after Aaron's first surgery holding his son! |
Early in our dating, Aaron felt it necessary to tell me about his cancer history in case I wanted to "bail before things got serious." I stared at him, stunned that he would think this would change my mind about him and told him, "You can't scare me away. I like you way too much and a cancer history doesn't change that!" We talked about the kidney disease he had due to his radiation treatments, a likely future kidney transplant, and the possibility for his cancer to return. We also talked about what it was like to be a child surrounded by death, watching his friends die from the same disease he had. He told me with tears in his eyes, "I just kept asking 'Why me!? Why are You [God] leaving me here and letting my friends die?" My Aaron was not the kind of person to ask "Why me? Poor me! Why did I get cancer and go through all of this pain?" Aaron, even as an 8 year old, looked to God and wondered how He wanted to use his life. After that, Aaron had my heart.
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| Waiting to see his bride for the first time on June 23, 2007 |
How can you get involved?
1.
Donate: 1.
Online - You can donate
here. Please let me know if you donate online so I may keep track of the race series donation total. 2.
By Check - Please send a check made to the "Aaron R. Moeller Memorial Fund" and
indicate the Helen DeVos Children's Hospital in the notes section. If you need my
mailing address, please send me an e-mail or leave a comment with your
e-mail address so I may reply privately.
2.
Run: Come check out Caledonia with me! You can
register online. Be sure to let me know so I can look for you! Many of his family members will be at the race as well as some sweet friends from his church in Traverse City, MI!
3.
Spread the word: Please tell your friends and family by sharing the link to this post on your Facebook or in an e-mail...
4.
Pray:
* Pray for the children who, like Aaron, must set childhood aside, trading basketballs and running for surgery and treatments
* Praise that there are hospital specializing in the needs of children
* Pray for wisdom for pediatric doctors, that they would know when a child is in need of additional screening and testing
* Praise for the medical era in which we live, that there is hope for children with childhood cancers
* Pray for the parents of children with cancer. I cannot imagine the agony of the feeling that you are unable to protect your child
* Pray for the siblings of children with cancer, knowing that it shapes them as well
* Pray for the family members and friends of children with cancer as they search for ways to help and how to continue in their relationship with the child
* Please also pray for the runners and the fundraising of the race and this race series
Upcoming Races
July 4:
Volkslaufe (10K)
in Frankenmuth, MI. I am honored to run on behalf of Amy Sain
(diagnosed with a soft tissue sarcoma in her brain) and the
Remi Savioz Glut1 Foundation ("RSG1")
July 13:
3rd Annual Pittsburgh Cure Sarcoma 5K Walk/Run
(5K) in Pittsburgh, PA (North Park). I, along with the other members of
The Great Lakers team, will be running in memory of Aaron Moeller
(nerve sheath sarcoma) and Laura Fellows Campbell (liposarcoma) to raise
funds for the
Sarcoma Foundation of America
July 20:
Gopher the Gold
(5K) in Shelby Township, MI. I am honored to run on behalf of Alyssa
Wright (diagnosed with cervical cancer) and her young family
August 7:
Red Carpet Run (5K) in West Bloomfield, MI. I will be running in support of the
Hillman Cancer Center
September 8:
Montour Trail half-marathon (13.1 mi) in Pittsburgh, PA (Montour Trail). I will be running in support of
The Gideons International
October 13:
Step UP for Down Syndrome Walk in Grand Rapids, MI. I will be walking in honor of Ellie Helmus and the
Down Syndrome Association of West Michigan
November 2:
Give Kids the World 5K Gingerbread Run (5K) in Kissimmee, FL. I will be running in support of
Give Kids the World
Completed Races
RHGYC Charity Run/Walk (5K) - 24:28
Donation Total on 6/8/13 - $1,755
Kona Run (10K) - 51:22
Fifth Third River Bank Run (10K) - 51:37
MOM 5K walk/run (5K) - 24:14
Run with the Cops, not from Them (5K) - 24:32
Passion for Life (5K) - 26:27
